Demister not working - 1963 Traveller

[worrasf]

Hello - I am a new member having purchased my first Minor (1963 Traveller) this weekend. This is my first post requesting advice (I suspect it will not be the last)
The car is in very good overall condition (purchased from Charles wares 3 yrs ago) but I knew when I bought her there were a few bits and bobs to do.

The heater works very well in as much as warm air comes out into the car and the blower works but the demister does not work and I don't know why. There is no air flow out of the demister vents either warm or cold. The flap on the heather unit opens and closes and all the hoses seem to be joined up so am at a loss. It looks like a heater conversion kit has been fitted.

I am reluctant to start dismantling if there is a simple soultion. Any help would be much appreciated.

Also, if any one can recommend a garage familiar with Travellers in the North Bradford/Skipton area for servicing and MOT it would be helpful.

Thanks

Steve Worrall

[MarkyB]

The lever on the front of the heater should be in the half way position to activate the demister.
You could try using a fluffy feather or joss stick smoke to detect the air flow as its pretty feeble compared to a modern car.

It may be possible to improve things by removing the glove boxes and adjusting the aim of the vents.

If you could find a way to seal around the edges of the vents demister performance should be improved. Maybe gaffa tape or foam draft sealing strip could be used.

The people who make Rainex also make something called anti-fog.
I haven't tried it maybe someone else here has?

Check that your carpets aren't damp as that raises the interior humidity and rots the floor

[Peetee]

'm a bit worried abou this 'heater conversion'. It's going to be a bit difficult to diagnose without knowing how it's been converted. Anyhow, on a standard oblong heater unit it's not uncommon for the car output to far exceed that which comes out for the screen. Inside the heater there is a moveable flap that deflects the air towards two pairs of exit vents in turn. The flap is sealed around it's edge by a very flimsy strip of foam which invariably decays leaving a gap allowing the air to escape every which way.
You could try blocking the vents to the floor with rags or foam to see if that improves flow to the screen.
Another problem could be causing this. Below the dashboard vent slots there are metal adaptors. They are held in place by two metal tabs and are often bent out of alignment. They do not fit snugly to the underside of the dash so air escapes away behind the gloveboxes.

[RogerRust]

The simple solutions are the best.

On my trav it was easy the plastic convoluted hoses had come off the demister vents under the dashboard. I zip tagged them back and all was fine.

[worrasf]

Thanks for the rapid and helpful responses.

Steve